Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school district police chief who ordered his officers not to storm a school where children were being slaughtered, was put on administrative leave Wednesday..Although the investigation continues into the law enforcement's response to the tragic mass shooting of 21 people at Uvalde Elementary School, school superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell said the decision was made to place Arredondo on leave "because of the lack of clarity that remains" and the "unknown timing" of how long the investigation will last, according to CBS News..Arredondo has come up against harsh criticism since the May 24 killings as he led the law enforcement response that waited 70 minutes to storm the school giving 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, time to barricade himself in a classroom with dozens of students where he proceeded to kill 19 children and two teachers. .The 50-year-old police chief has commented in earlier statements that he did not consider himself the person in charge of the response and assumed someone else was in control. .READ MORE: Slaughter of the innocents.So far, the investigation has revealed several missteps, including the failure by police to shoot the gunman within three minutes of his arrival at the school when they had the chance, and in doing so, allowed Ramos to enter the school where he remained for more than an hour. Poor radio communications between law enforcement has also been cited as a concern. .Arredondo, along with other law enforcement, are facing numerous questions as authorities work to clarify what actually happened that day. .Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez, on Wednesday, filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), demanding the agency share critical information being withheld with regard to the response of state troopers. ."They want to give us snippets of body cam footage from the local police, but they want to hold on to their own body cam footage," Gutierrez said of the Texas State Troopers.."We found out yesterday there was 91 officers on site from the Department of Public Safety.".Don McLaughlin, Uvalde's mayor, said he blames state authorities for keeping citizens in the dark. He was last updated by the DPS the morning after the shooting. ."I've contacted them every day. I don't get a damn thing out of them," McLaughlin said..On Tuesday, McLaughlin told attendees of a council meeting he "understands" the elementary school where the shooting took place will be demolished and a new school will be built in its place. .READ MORE: Uvalde Elementary School where 21 killed to be razed.On May 24, Ramos shot and wounded his grandmother at the home they shared before speeding off in a truck. He crashed the vehicle near the elementary school a short time later..READ MORE: SCHOOL HORROR: 19 students, 3 adults killed after massacre in Texas elementary school.While law enforcement was in pursuit, Ramos managed to enter the school and, over the course of 70 minutes, kill 21 innocent children and teachers before he was shot and killed by authorities.
Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school district police chief who ordered his officers not to storm a school where children were being slaughtered, was put on administrative leave Wednesday..Although the investigation continues into the law enforcement's response to the tragic mass shooting of 21 people at Uvalde Elementary School, school superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell said the decision was made to place Arredondo on leave "because of the lack of clarity that remains" and the "unknown timing" of how long the investigation will last, according to CBS News..Arredondo has come up against harsh criticism since the May 24 killings as he led the law enforcement response that waited 70 minutes to storm the school giving 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, time to barricade himself in a classroom with dozens of students where he proceeded to kill 19 children and two teachers. .The 50-year-old police chief has commented in earlier statements that he did not consider himself the person in charge of the response and assumed someone else was in control. .READ MORE: Slaughter of the innocents.So far, the investigation has revealed several missteps, including the failure by police to shoot the gunman within three minutes of his arrival at the school when they had the chance, and in doing so, allowed Ramos to enter the school where he remained for more than an hour. Poor radio communications between law enforcement has also been cited as a concern. .Arredondo, along with other law enforcement, are facing numerous questions as authorities work to clarify what actually happened that day. .Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez, on Wednesday, filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), demanding the agency share critical information being withheld with regard to the response of state troopers. ."They want to give us snippets of body cam footage from the local police, but they want to hold on to their own body cam footage," Gutierrez said of the Texas State Troopers.."We found out yesterday there was 91 officers on site from the Department of Public Safety.".Don McLaughlin, Uvalde's mayor, said he blames state authorities for keeping citizens in the dark. He was last updated by the DPS the morning after the shooting. ."I've contacted them every day. I don't get a damn thing out of them," McLaughlin said..On Tuesday, McLaughlin told attendees of a council meeting he "understands" the elementary school where the shooting took place will be demolished and a new school will be built in its place. .READ MORE: Uvalde Elementary School where 21 killed to be razed.On May 24, Ramos shot and wounded his grandmother at the home they shared before speeding off in a truck. He crashed the vehicle near the elementary school a short time later..READ MORE: SCHOOL HORROR: 19 students, 3 adults killed after massacre in Texas elementary school.While law enforcement was in pursuit, Ramos managed to enter the school and, over the course of 70 minutes, kill 21 innocent children and teachers before he was shot and killed by authorities.
